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Shelter director advises cat owners keep pets from roaming outside

KATHLEEN CHARLEBOIS

Miner and News

Tuesday, September 19, 2017
11:39:25 EDT AM

Shelter cat Nina eyes a feather toy hanging in her cage during a meet the cats event at PetValu on Saturday, Sept. 16. Kenora Cat Shelter director Celynn Alcock is advising cat owners to keep their pets indoors after an increase in missing cat calls to the shelter's lost and found registry.
KATHLEEN CHARLEBOIS/DAILY MINER AND NEWS

Cats often give the impression that they’re invincible, but that’s often not the case and being within four walls might be their best protection.

Kenora Cat Shelter director Celynn Alcock said she’s noticed an uptick in the number of people calling in to the shelter’s lost and found registry, and recommends that cat owners keep their pets indoors for their safety.

“I get at least two calls a day, and it just goes on and on. This is the worst it’s been in 15 years,” she said.

She added that she doesn’t know if that reflects people’s knowledge about the lost and found registry or the number of predators that are around, such as wolves, foxes, coyotes and lynxes.

Alcock said one person phoned her recently about a lynx wandering down Valley Drive with a dead cat in its mouth. “It’s pretty remarkable, right in a residential area. That’s the kind of phone calls I’ve been getting.”

Another recent phone call to the shelter was about a cat hit by a car who was recuperating in a ditch. “We went and got it home to the owner because they reported the cat missing, which was good,” Alcock said. “But had the cat not been outside, it wouldn’t have been hit by the car.”

She said she’s also been hearing anecdotal stories about people trapping and dumping stray and runaway cats, although she can’t confirm it for sure. All of the cats at the shelter are microchipped to make them easier to find, but some haven’t turned up again after going missing.

“So many going missing is really remarkable just based on what we’ve seen before. It doesn’t matter who is causing it. They’re going missing and most of the time not getting home,” Alcock said.

As a way to compromise with a cat yowling at the door, Alcock said she knows lots of cat owners have been building cat runs that can be accessed through patio doors and windows.

According to the city bylaw, cat and other pet owners are not permitted to run at large in the municipality, or they risk being impounded.

“There’s a lot of things at play, and a lot of issues around it all, but the bottom line is if you want the cats to be safe and sound, I think indoors is the place to keep them,” Alcock said.